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Opinions please .........

Hi ,

I currently own the Digital Rebel Xt w/ the kit lens and also own a 50mm 1.4 lens. I would like to purchase another lens and after reading all the reviews I am really confused. Unfortunately I don't live anywhere close to a good camera store. What I am hoping to buy is a good walk around lens that will deliver sharp, clear pics. With my current lenses I am frequently disappointed not having a wide enough lens and also need a good lens to take indoor low light shots of people. I am not sure if I will be able to purchase one lens to meet my needs or will I eventually need to purchase two lenses? Maximum cost cannot exceed $800. I want to get good lenses that I will be able to keep for a long time. I was thinking about the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Shelly

you never said what lens you got with your kit... the 18-55mm..??...the next logical choice would be a medium-long zoom...like the 70-200mm; but for available indoor lighting; the 28-135mm IS would probably be a better choice

there are 2 topics in this forum you need to look at... 1> the lens reviews...it just won't get any simpler than that 2> the Canon rebate thread... you can get 15-500 in rebates on certain canon lenses, if you act quickly

not interested in zoom

The kit lens is the 28-105mm. I am not really interested in a zoom don't really find must use for a zoom. I just sold a 75-300mm IS lens on Ebay because I never used it. I purchased to use for my son's basketball games and he is now done with basketball so the lens was just collecting dust.
I sold it for $350. and want to put that money towards a lens that I will use more frequently.

The lens linked below is sort of an update of Tamrons 17-50 f/2.8. They've added VC (Tamron speak for Vibration Compensation = IS (Image Stabilizer). This should make it a pretty good lens for handheld shots in lower light than normal and would make a good walk around lens. It's new to the market, so as B&H's site shows, it's not available as of yet. If you're not in too much of a hurry for a new lens this might be worth a look when it's available.

take a look at the 60mm f/2.8 macro...no IS, but you should be able to hand-hold it to 1/30 & still get good shots. I used my 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor on my analog 35mm for available-light indoor shots all the time...it was my favorite lens...the 60mm macro will let you do killer close-ups, & copy work, too...I just got a new one for 392 from Adorama...there currently is a $30 discount on this lens; which expires next week

... What I am hoping to buy is a good walk around lens that will deliver sharp, clear pics..... I am frequently disappointed not having a wide enough lens and also need a good lens to take indoor low light shots of people. ...

...Maximum cost cannot exceed $800. I want to get good lenses that I will be able to keep for a long time. I was thinking about the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L....
Shelly

The 17-40 is good lens, but f/4 is not fast enough for indoor use without a flash.

Options:
1. Tamron 17-50 f/2.8. Very well respected lens.
2. Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS. Very nice lens, but even used it runs about $850.
4. Have you considered a flash? Many times even f/2.8 is not fast enough for indoor shots. A 430EX Speedlight runs about $200 and will open up a whole new world of indoor portrait photography to you. I admit I'm not much of a flash user, but there are definitlely times when a flash is the best way to get the shot....(The 17-40 f/4 would be fine indoors with a flash).